A House of Cards
by Crimsonkat
Summary: (GS)Assassin turned soldier Wiru Kartas is unofficial leader of the 'non-existent' army under the control of the five noble families of Orb. As he battles with his inner demons, he tries to police the complex political web within the Orb Union and try keep his country out of the impending war... [AU] NOT SELF-INSERT [Should Update on Fridays]
1. Teaser

A/N: I don't own anything to do with Gundam (except a few volumes of manga, but that's beside the point...) This is an idea that's been bothering me for the last six years and it won't leave me alone till I finish it.

* * *

 **June 15th, C.E. 71**

 **Near the coast of Onogoro Island, Orb Union**

 **4:42 PM, Local time**

* * *

Ten…

The scream of alarms. Shadows moving. Violent shaking. Anger. Despair.

Nine…

Wind rushing. Cockpit exposed. Hate. _NO MORE!_

Eight…

Hands moving, grasping controls. Bright light! _Kill!_

Seven…

Metal screeching. Sparks! Flashing Red. Death.

Six…

Resignation. Defeat. Bitter Failure. Comrades gone. Sadness...

Five…

...screaming. Realization. _Not yet!_ Need. Movement. Stuck. _Pain!_

Four…

Heavy wind. Falling. Blurring shadows. Finished. Content. Windy.

Falling…

 ** _Explosion!_** _Light! Pain!_

Darkness…

* * *

Edit: This was a bit rushed because I wanted to force myself to post and get things underway. Now that things are underway, I might be convinced to improve it if I got some input...

Oh and this fic will start out a bit slow because I have to set some things up, but please understand that it'll pick up speed quickly once the action starts which is in approximately... eight chapters.

Overall, this fic should be about 90 chapters long if I estimate it correctly and should be completed for its sequel sometime in the middle of next year.


	2. A Christmas to Remember

(insert a disclaimer here)

* * *

 **December 14th, C.E. 69**

 **4:03 PM, Local time**

 **Kaguya Mass Driver, Kaguya Island**

* * *

Wiru waded through the crowd.

The mass driver was usually crowded around the holidays with people trying to visit their loved ones in Heliopolis or PLANT citizens with dual citizenship trying to get home. Being surrounded wasn't a pleasant feeling and, not for the first time that day, he wished he had worn his uniform instead of plainclothes… at least then people would have given him wide berth and he wouldn't feel like he was suffocating. He carefully slipped through the crowd toward his destination.

Near the entry to the concourse, he spotted his target: a head of shoulder-length neon-pink hair was hard to miss. He shook his head ruefully. No matter how brilliant his older sister Mai was, her intelligence could only be matched by her eccentricity. He could still remember when she showed up for work a year ago sporting the hair… _How does it look? I dyed it this morning because I was bored and I thought this would be a fun change! Pink is all the rage right now._

A small Asian man stood beside her, his head buried in what was most likely new report about his company. Donovan Wei, her husband of six years, stood at least a head shorter than her but made up for it with his go-getter personality. Wiru thought they were an odd duo, but they made it work. What he saw next as he continued his slow approach made him smile. His twin brother, Hikaze, was at it again with Mai's children, Evelyn and Lee.

"Uncle Kaz! Uncle Kaz! C'mon, show us how you did it.~"

Kneeling beside them, Kaz was showing the kids some 'magic' that he had learned 'deep in the jungles of South America'. It was simple sleight of hand, but it kept them entertained while they waited. A gentle smile graced Kaz's face.

Together, they were all the very picture of a happy family about to leave on vacation. _Why can't it be me? I'm much better suited for-_ No. A pang of jealousy flitted through Wiru's heart, but he squashed it. _I'll be following them soon,_ he reminded himself.

Heralded by the groans of disappointment from the two children, Kaz sensed his approach and turned to face him. A few years back, they used to be mistaken for one another quite often, so Kaz decided to cut his own midnight hair short, cropped close to the sides. Wiru often thought that it had been a foolish mistake, as Kaz's eyes were an easy way to tell the difference. Mischievous electric blue met his own serious wintergreen eyes as Wiru's smile disappeared.

"Enjoy your bathroom break, Nii-chan?" He asked. Wiru rolled his eyes. _Classic Kaz…_

"Yes, I did," he responded. Don looked up from his pad to give a brief nod of acknowledgement, then returned to his work. The two children jumped onto Kaz's back, attempting to pull his attention back to them.

"Don't stop Uncle Kaz!" A grin split Kaz's face in two. Another pang of jealousy racked Wiru. _I wish…_

"Alright, alright. Stop pulling, or I won't be able to show you!~ Now first, you put the coin in this hand..."

Wiru tore his attention away from the scene and focused on his older sister. A look of pity shot across her face as she watched him. She quietly started,

"I'm sorry. They don't really know you as well since you're never really around. I'm sure if you-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," he lied. It was not fine, but it was the cost of the path he had chosen. Anxious to change the subject, he continued, "Is everything in order?"

Mai paused, slightly taken aback, and gave a quick glance that said, _'Are you sure?'_

Wiru nodded. Reassured, she said,

"Our luggage is already loaded and we start boarding in about ten minutes. When we arrive on Heliopolis, we _should_ have just enough time to transfer to a shuttle headed for Aprilius One." Wiru nodded. "Kyo is planning to meet us at the spaceport and 'escort' us to mom and dad's house on Junius Seven."

She shook her head and sighed,

"It was a lot easier to travel before _all of this_ happened."

Wiru lifted an eyebrow. In his opinion, it was always easy to travel. You just needed to know who to bribe.

"Well, it might get even harder starting with the beginning of the new year…" he said, "Chairman Clyne drives a hard bargain; things are probably going to heat up again… Even with Dad there to minimize the damage, things might get a little crazy."

He stepped forward, gave his older sister a hug, and whispered in her ear,

"If anything looks suspicious, let Kaz know; he'll know what to do." He stepped back and in a louder voice, continued,

"Say 'hi' to Dad for me, and look after yourselves..."

Evelyn and Lee looked up from their magic show.

"You're not coming Uncle 'roo!?" Evelyn said, shocked by this new information while Lee continued,

"...but it's a _family_ vacation! You always have work _or somethin'!_ " Slightly pleased by their disappointment, he knelt down and smiled,

"I'll be coming later," he said, "I've got some work I need to do first, but I'll _definitely_ be there for the big party." He tussled their hair and saw rekindled hope in their eyes.

"You promise...?" they asked in unison. His heart warmed. He held out both of his pinkies.

"I _pinkie_ promise." They looked at him seriously and took one of his hands.

 _"...don't break it…"_

"I won't." He let go of their hands and got up. Don looked up from his work approvingly and said,

"We'll see you when you get there, I guess." Wiru nodded as Don retreated back into his work. Don was never particularly good at feelings. Especially with goodbyes. It was the same with Wiru, so they understood one another. _You're weak._ Kaz stood up as the PA buzzed to life:

"Passengers on the 4:30 flight to Heliopolis, please begin boarding..."

Wiru and Kaz locked eyes, the mischief that had danced in his eyes, now still like ice.

"I know you're worried. Don't be. I'll keep an eye out," he said. "I haven't seen anything so far."

Wiru let the tension inside of him release. If Kaz said it was so, then it must be. He trusted his younger twin without reserve. Wiru nodded at him.

"Make sure it stays that way." Seeing the change, Kaz grinned and his eyes became soft.

"Know who you're talking to? Hikaze Kartas, engineer extraordinaire!" He winked at Wiru, "Couldn't let anything happen even if I wanted; after all, they're my family too."

Mai moved forward, pushing Kaz aside,

"Could you all board? I'd like to talk to Wiru alone," she began. Wiru's stomach dropped. _She knows._ He shot a pleading look at Kaz who just wore a smile that said, _It's your fault for keeping it a secret._ Kaz shrugged his shoulders and turned around to help the rest of the family through the gate. Wiru watched them, feeling that any hope for rescue was lost. He turned his attention back to Mai.

"I've already instructed Kat to keep me informed of what's going on, and she's readily agreed."

Wiru faked amusement and asked quizzically,

"You're going to have _her_ babysit _me_? She's _your_ project that you asked _me_ to look after."

She smiled, aware of the irony.

"But I don't trust that you will give me a completely 'honest' evaluation of what's _actually_ going on."

Wiru felt the heat rise in his cheeks and a chill go down his spine as he looked away because he knew she was right. He _wouldn't_ give her a completely honest appraisal even if his life depended on it. _Which it does!~_ She took his hand.

"We're a _family_ , Wiru. We _care_. Hey," she said, "Hey, _look at me._ "

He reluctantly met her eyes.

"Family is here to look out for each other. You don't need to do this alone." Her blue eyes shone brightly. Wiru opened his mouth-

"Passengers on the 4:30 flight to Heliopolis, the flight will be leaving in approximately ten minutes..."

"...I'll think about it." He finally said. Mai smiled, knowing that this was the best answer she could get from him.

"We'll see you in a couple days then?" she asked, gripping his hand firmly.

"...yeah."

She smiled brighter,

"I expect a full report then, from your own mouth." She turned around heading for the gate.

As he watched her retreating figure, he was slightly bemused. Would she even believe him if he told her the truth? _I've just got too much to do... Things to destroy, people to kill... No rest for the wicked!~_

Several minutes later, he watched the ship she had boarded shoot up the tracks and launch into the sky. He hoped that he would have good news to report by the time they met up again.

 _It's going to happen, no matter what I do... All I can do is let it happen._

* * *

"Commander Kartas, over here!" A young man in civilian clothes was waving wildly at him, visible through the crowd. Wiru got a few sideways glances.

Wiru closed his eyes and let out a small breath. _I can see you, idiot._ He began to make his way to the flailing figure. He had so much to prepare if he was going to be able to make his flight on the eighteenth. His major concern was who he could put in charge of the base while he was gone.

He could see the young man clearly now. Brown hair, a seemingly ordinary looking kid, not looking much older than seventeen. _Tanigawa._ For someone from Zephyr R &D, he was relatively carefree.

"Commander, I'm glad you-"

Wiru glided smoothly past without even acknowledging him. He had to focus, he had to get everything done quickly. He couldn't spare any time. Probably surprised, he could hear the kid scrambling to catch up. I'm not that much older though…

Listening as Tanigawa tried to make small talk as they walked, Wiru lagged slightly behind deeply in thought, muttering a noncommittal grunt whenever he was posed a question. Who could he trust to keep things organized? Ryoshi and Takada were both on vacation in the Equatorial Union. Curantis? No, she would still have her hands full with the pups... He could always... No. June was busy. He wouldn't want to ruin her holiday, especially because technically she was on indefinite leave from the military.

Together, they came to a cordoned-off area of the spaceport. Wiru quickly flashed his ID in the scanner and passed through the gate. Inside there was a landing pad with a small troop transport. _I wish I were back in combat, where everything is so simple..._ Tanigawa finally realized Wiru wasn't actually paying attention and fell silent, waiting until the moment he would be ready to talk. They boarded the transport as it hummed to life; Wiru finally turned his attention to him.

"Give me the update." Tanigawa's eyes lit up.

"Well, Lord Uzumi's major concern is the conference about PLANT's demand for complete autonomy and trade equality to the sponsor nations of Earth. The Conference is to be held in seventeen days, which is January 1st," he said, quickly taking out a small pad and looking at his notes. "If the demands are not met, the PLANTs will stop all resource exports, which doesn't really affect us because of our neutrality."

"I already knew that," Wiru responded. "What does Lord Uzumi want me to do about it?"

"He wants a Reaper there. He's afraid that one of the sponsor nations or the UN or something might try to screw over the PLANTs, and he would like someone to make sure that the conference ends peacefully." He took a deep breath, "He mentioned that he'd like you to be there because your father being part of the talks would give you a good cover, rather than trying to use our contacts to insert an operative."

Wiru paused to think about it. He wouldn't mind going. It would give him an excuse to spend some time with his father who he didn't really know that well. He had been so caught up with work lately that it was almost impossible to spend any quality time with each other. It didn't help that they were part of the military forces of two different nations. _I want to. I want to do it._ But he had to coordinate the Nexus, and the new year was prime time to get everything in order. It might actually have to be her instead... He finally said,

"I'll consider it. Anything else to report?"

"No sir, that's it." Tanigawa looked expectantly at him.

"Ah. Well... thanks." Wiru looked away awkwardly. He knew how to deal with Tanigawa. He just seemed so innocent. _I want to crush him. I want to see the despair in his eyes._

"Not a problem! Anything I can do to help," Tanigawa said with a smile.

"We're pulling into the landing zone now," the pilot announced.

"Then, once we land, you're dismissed," Wiru said, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

"Yes sir!" they both said cheerfully.

The cabin that they sat in shook wildly as the transport finally touched down. Almost bounding out the door, excited to get back to his projects no doubt, Tanigawa said over his shoulder,

"See you around, Commander!"

Wiru blinked several times before registering that Tanigawa was already gone. That was quick. Tanigawa usually stuck around and tried to tell him about his latest designs _._ Wiru quickly disengaged himself from his crash webbing and exited the transport. He thought it was funny because they were actually going to be heading to the same place. Not that he would admit it though, but he might've been looking forward to listening to Tanigawa's chattering. He usually learned a little bit of something new.

He began strolling to the lift that led to the labs.

Feeling a familiar presence tailing him, he slowed down, allowing her to fall into step beside him.

"Hey, Wiru, do you have a moment?" Roan asked. She brushed her deep blue bangs behind her ear. He was always thankful for talks with Roan because she'd been with him since the beginning. She knew what they'd both been through. He glanced down and saw something new, a golden glint on her left hand. He turned away smiling. She caught his look and blushed.

"Talk as we walk?" He motioned.

"Sure." They picked up their pace to walk briskly toward the lift. They quickly arrived and, as they waited, stood in silence. He paused, knowing she would talk when she couldn't take the silence anymore. _Completely different from how she used to be..._ The lift arrived and together they entered. He continued his silent vigil all the way down. It was a normal scene between them, seeing who could wait the longest before breaking the silence.

Finally, she could take it no longer, and once they exited, she said, "He proposed yesterday."

"Congratulations," he said simply as they continued walking. He wanted to be excited with her. He was so proud of how much she had grown over the last five years. He wanted to support her. But that wasn't the persona that he had to follow right now. He felt even worse about what he was about to do. "So, what do you plan on doing over the holidays, then?"

"Well, I was planning on spending some time at his restaurant… He said he would teach me a few of his signature dishes!" She squealed and glowed with happiness. He wanted to let that continue. Food was her favorite pastime, though you wouldn't have been able to tell from her slim and compact frame. Ironically, this was also how she and her now-fiancee, Rosh, had met. He hated what he was about to do even more.

"You know how I'm going to the PLANTs to spend Christmas with my family, right...?" He began.

"Yes, you already told me that, but what-" She said, then a look slowly fell across her face, "...oh..." He winced. "You want me to watch the base while you're gone, don't you?" Though he couldn't see her eyes due to her dark shades, he knew if he saw them, those black eyes would reflect absolute disappointment. He couldn't take it, so he relented,

"...but if you can find two others to help you, so that you can spend some time with him, I'll take it."

"I can do that." She said. He could tell from the thoughtful look on her face that she was already mentally going through the list of her least favorite squadmates. This was lightyears ahead of who she used to be. She had almost been dependent on him, and they hadn't even been partners before that system had been abolished. She caught him looking at her.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"No, I was just thinking about how happy I am now that you've found a new life here in Orb."

She had quite literally blossomed since they came here with the other remnants of P2. Out of all of them, she was the shining example of what happened from the change in environment. She'd become more open and vivacious compared to her previous stoic and emotionless self. Her brows furrowed.

"What about you?" she questioned. "Where's your happiness?"

Caught off guard by her question, Wiru suddenly felt tired. He felt old. _My happiness comes from the hunt!_ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he turned to face her.

"I'm happy that so many of us made it," he said smiling wryly, "I simply chose the path that would lead to the greatest happiness for all of _you_." He gestured to her, "You're my proof that I did the right thing."

She sighed, shaking her head. She'd definitely noticed that he said _you_ instead of _us_.

"You're not that obligated. You don't have to take all of our worlds on your shoulders."

"I know." He said as he shrugged. "I don't _have_ to do a lot of things, but would we have a safe home like this if I didn't?"

She looked away. This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation; it most likely wouldn't be the last.

"Just take it easy" she said. They finally reached a door that proudly stated in bold letters, 'LAB'. She turned to face him.

"I'm heading home for today, but come by Rosh's restaurant later, and I'll buy you a drink."

That translated into 'Rosh will buy you a drink'. But Wiru appreciated the sentiment.

"You know I don't drink," he said with a smile. "Can't stomach the taste." She slapped his back.

"We'll make a drunk out of you yet." She said with a grin. "Now go on and entertain our _esteemed_ guests."

Wiru watched and steeled himself as Roan daintily flitted away. Dealing with Mr. Azrael was exhausting, but if the old man was there, he just might be able to sneak past and talk with him instead. He stepped through the door, and his nose was assaulted with the scent of heavy cologne.

* * *

A/N: If you have any difficulty imagining what Wiru looks like, think Junichirou Sengawa from Dendrobates, only with his wild hair. I found that yesterday and it was great. I'd been trying to imagine what Wiru looks like for years.


	3. RE: Recovered Artifacts

(insert a disclaimer here)

A/N:If you're still here, then just sit back and enjoy because in the wise words of a talking head I once heard say (in a sweet Jamaican accent),

"It's gon' be a bumpy riiiide!"

* * *

 **=UNITED EMIRATES OF ORB OFFICIAL ARCHIVE=**

 **~DECLASSIFIED MATERIAL~**

* * *

 **RE:** Recovered Artifacts

sent: 10/02/67, 13:47

Lord Uzumi,

I'm only doing this because you requested it.

It looks like you're trying to limit those who know about the artifacts we recovered from L4 since you haven't let XXXX and XXX (or any of the other Reapers for that matter) know about them. I think this is an error on your part, but I'm not the one in charge. If you want to continue to keep these items a secret, then by all means, go for it.

Just know that I think they have a right to know their own history.

Anyway, I lost a good portion of the information stored in this artifact due to a virus that wiped the rest of the drive. I may be brilliant, but I'm an engineer, not a programmer. A virus of this caliber was a bit beyond my expertise. If you would allow HR to look into possible recruits from the technical colleges in Orb, perhaps I could find myself an assistant who IS a programmer...? XXX is good with his hands, but programming isn't his specialty either.

I digress. I have included a link to the report below.

Sincerely,

Dr. XXX XXXXXX-XXX

Chief Designer of Materials and Mobile Weapons

=Zephyr=

 **A REMINDER: _Please_ do not try to access this report on anything other than your  office computer, as it is a link to the secure servers on Onogoro Island.**

ANY other computer who follows this link will be... permanently disabled (i.e. fried). Technical support won't tell you this, but I will.

They're getting tired of replacing expensive equipment.

* * *

 **\\\Ghostdrive\Zephyr\Personalprojects\P2\Analysis\RecoveredArifact6\**

(User)Mai Kartas-Wei

Recorded: Feb. 9th C.E. 67, 14:47

I started with this artifact because it seemed the easiest to handle. From this point on, I'll go in descending order.

 **Artifact 6:**

A standardized hard drive: 12 zettabytes, several sectors damaged and broken, outer core scorched; vacuum of space kept well preserved; and magnetic wipe and several fail-safe viruses to destroy information.

 **Report:**

I managed to disable the magnetic wipe, but the viruses were a problem; managed to extract a bit of data before the whole drive became corrupted.

Here is what I managed to piece together-

The year is 2056 A.D. [C.E. -21]

A program designated **PreDA:TOr** ( **PRE** -natal **D** evelopment **A** cceleration: **T** actical **OR** ganization) is initialized by an unknown country in Europe. It is the forerunner of what we know today as P2[Disbanded*] (See connected report, _"P2: Known Organization and Operations"_ , written by Wiru Kartas). An organization called, L͞*̷̸#́o̵̕s҉̷ (that was all of the name I could get due to the corruption of data) was involved at its inception.

In any case, PreDA:TOr's goal was to quickly create high-class, battle-ready soldiers through prenatal genetic modification. They attempted to do this by modifying human DNA to mirror that of other terrestrial organisms. Records indicate almost all subjects died before, during, or directly after birth. Out of over six-hundred subjects, only nine survived their initial year of life.

What is incredibly interesting to me is that Dr. Manta Alejos is mentioned to have left the project due to ethical concerns. Since he is credited with developing modern techniques to create Coordinators, I wonder if this is where he collected his initial trial data. This happened approximately 7-8 years before George Glen was born, and his father, Michael Glen, was known to dabble in rather shady (i.e. illegal) ventures. I wonder if they were introduced to one another through this project.

That is just idle speculation though. Even if Dr. Alejos voiced his concerns, he participated in this 'disposable soldier' program where at least six-hundred lives were ended before they even began.

This brings me to my next finding from A.6. I discovered the designation of those nine survivors: #0007-'Sven', #0014-'Hunter', #0023-'Jo', #0039-'Shelly', #0058-'Kay Aos', #0079-'Violet Queen', #0104-'John', #0105-'Jane', and #0124-'Crimson King'.

I suspect that these few survived because they were modified the least out of all of the subjects. They were to function as control specimens in their respective modification groups. As the program continued, modifications likely became more radical, and therefore, the likelihood of survival decreased as well.

At the end of the recovered information, there is a small mention of them being sold to several major nations with their handlers. The data is quite corrupted, so all the buyers except one are unknown. The UN purchased #0007. This is quite astounding especially because of their anti-war, pro-human rights posture at that point in time. I'm sure if we pester the UN enough, we could find their record of the purchase and gather a bit more information on this matter; if not, I'll have to find someone to reconstruct the data.

Hopefully, Artifact 5 contains more data regarding those survivors. History isn't my forte, but this is very interesting…

Tomorrow, my AIs and I will finish purging the data and then, according to the Zephyr Directive, begin working on Artifact 5, as per orders of Lord Uzumi Nara Athha.

*see _"New Years' Eve Massacre"_ report

**Logged off 18:58**

* * *

A/N: I will try my best to update regularly (especially because I've got the whole plot written already, it's just not... written. *sigh*), **if you want to check the progress of the next chapter, go to my authors page. I'll keep that updated regularly.** I'll try to be updating weekly and starting next week, we'll get to the actual story portion of this and get the ball rolling. I just wanted to use this to introduce a little background.


	4. New Toys

(insert standard disclaimer here)

*Edit 11/05/2015* Sorry for my silence for the last few months, I've had a bunch of family problems and school and life. So that was delightful. I've now submitted a slightly edited ch. 4. Enjoy. Things should be getting back on track now.

* * *

Wiru started breathing through his mouth. Normal Coordinators wouldn't have had a problem, but with his enhanced senses, the cologne stung his nose like a bee protecting its hive. _I want to destroy it._ It was almost painful how strong the scent was, and he had to resist the impulse to pinch his nose. It wouldn't have helped anyway.

Standing in front of him with his back turned to the door was a blonde man with shoulder-length hair, fiddling with something on Mai's workbench. Using his enhanced hearing, Wiru could hear him muttering under his breath,

"'Axis Military Enterprises is proud to present…' No… Too cliché. What about… 'Axis Military Enterprises' newest addition…'? Hmmmm… Seems a bit better. Needs more work though…?"

Caught up in his thoughts as he was, Mr. Azrael hadn't heard the door opening behind him. It took all of his willpower to stop himself from creeping up behind his comrade and giving him a scare. _Or I could slit his throat._ Instead, Wiru made a small noise from the back of his throat.

Startled out of his reverie, Azrael turned around with his entrepreneurial smile already in place; it fell when he saw that it was only Wiru.

Wiru couldn't help but grin as he saw his look of disappointment.

"What? Were you expecting someone else?" Wiru asked, "I could leave if you'd prefer to be going over your little spiel again?" A panicked look filled Azrael's face as he quickly put up his hands to placate him.

"No, no! Khadim Azrael never turns away one of his most illustrious partners!" He said, "I was just waiting for Colonel Kisaka to sign off my latest shipment to the labs." He idly swept the dust off one of the crates to his left and gave him a sidelong glance. "It's mostly just standard research material for your older sister, but there are a couple new things that we've finally finished prototyping and want Zephyr to test."

Khadim's brown eyes suddenly got bright and he quickly got behind one of the crates with arms poised to open it. _Here he goes again._

"…It must be fate that we met here. I'd love to show you a couple of the things that we want _you_ to test personally." He began prying the top of the crate loose enthusiastically. Rolling his eyes at the excitement in the the arms reps' eyes, Wiru said,

"Isn't it against company policy to open the shipment before it's been signed off?" he said. "You wouldn't want to get in trouble with Gramps, would you?"

"It's fine, it's fine, you being here is enough since these ones were meant for you." He had a good point. _If they're for me, might as well take a look…_

Khadim finally got the top of the crate loose and lifted it up. "Besides, he's over in the AI section of the Lab with Yoon at the moment, checking their progress." Despite his initial misgivings, Wiru moved closer to the crate, wondering what toys they wanted him to give him. It was dark within, but he could see the outline of many boxes inside. Khadim started with a medium-sized one marked with 'PROTOTYPES' in bold red lettering and motioned for Wiru to move closer.

"Anyway, we made a couple prototypes with your specific skillset in mind." He couldn't help being drawn into the man's pace, feeling the excitement growing inside his gut. _Where are they?_ It always ended up being like this whenever he was around Khadim; this was one of the reasons Wiru found him so exhausting. Everything was a sale to him, even before his transfer to the sales department.

All was forgotten a few moments later as Wiru experienced the sales pitch that Khadim probably thought he might never be able to give. He started by drawing out a small computer from the box.

"First, we're going to start off with something small. This computer. It looks like an ordinary laptop, yes? But as you open it up, you'll find that it's so much more!" Khadim turned it on. It slowly came to life, then froze on a blue screen. Wiru looked up at him.

"A pre-crashed computer. Saves me the trouble of downloading the viruses myself."

Khadim's smile grew wider.

"That's what you'd think, isn't it? But this was actually a request of Mai's for you. This computer has no operating system of its own." He started gently stroking its case, "It's built with state-of-the-art components, the casing is triple reinforced Kevlar mesh, and it's the closest we've ever gotten to quantum computing so far, with a battery life of several months even on the highest performing benchmarks." His voice squeaked, "There's also an added bonus! It has a varying broadcast signal that can jack into any computer system which uses a wireless signal!"

Wiru was still confused.

"So it's a computer with high-specs that I can't use because it has no O.S.… Great."

"Yes!~ That's the beauty of it," he began, letting his excitement shine through. He must have realized that Wiru wasn't following because he sighed and relented,

"You already have the O.S. with you." It began dawning on him what Khadim was trying to get across.

"…you mean… Kat is my operating system?" He said.

"Exactly!" Khadim said, "Mai wanted you to be able to take Kat with you anywhere you might go. Even into combat. If this holds up well, then we'll work on making a smaller, more portable wrist terminal for you." He handed the computer to Wiru.

"You'll want to download Kat onto this as soon as possible, preferably before you leave on your vacation." Wiru was simply excited because it meant that his paperwork would go by that much more quickly. Hopefully. Kat disliked paperwork almost as much as he did. _If an AI can't do grunt work, what good is it?_

Khadim refocused his attention on the box, pulling out his next item, which was…

A vest.

He threw it at Wiru.

"So today, I'm also going to give you a bit of a history lesson," he began as Wiru struggled to catch the vest without dropping the computer.

"Carbon nanotubes. CNTs, as they're sometimes called. They're cylinders of carbon atoms, which are absolutely extraordinary. The tubes are approximately an atom thick and have two hundred times the strength and five times the elasticity of steel. They have nearly limitless uses, ranging from camouflage, optical and otherwise, electronic components and energy storage, and, in this case, body armor." He turned to Wiru. "You feel how light it is?"

Wiru nodded.

"Forget your standard bullet resistant vests where you have to replace the ceramic plates every time you get shot! This stuff is strong enough to stand up to a tank piercing round!" Khadim shivered, "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't still avoid being hit. It may block the bullets, but they can still leave some nasty welts and-slash-or break bones. That, and if an armor piercing round hit you in your center, it would _destroy_ some internal organs… But back to history!" _I'd love to see that. Blood everywhere…_

Khadim turned back to the crate and began rummaging.

"CNTs fell out of use about a hundred years ago because it took an insane amount of time to produce enough tubes to then make enough thread to then weave these vests. Mass production was practically unheard of back then. These vests were a privilege of the wealthy during the Reconstruction War. After that, CNTs were mainly just used for computer components and batteries." He thrust his hand up and made a fist, "but Axis Military Enterprises are bringing them back! …Ah, found it." He pulled out a smaller box and put it on the workbench.

Being caught up in Azrael's pace had its advantages. All Wiru had to do was be along for the ride… It was actually kind of relaxing.

Though, he did feel slightly guilty that he wasn't really listening.

"And this… This is the final thing we'd like you to test before we begin mass production." He drew out a small throwing knife. The white knife gleamed in the overhead light.

Wiru gave all his attention to Khadim. _Now **that** is something beautiful._

"We developed these beauties by reverse engineering the blades that all of the reapers brought to us after P2 was destroyed." Wiru looked for permission to take it and then with a flip of the wrist began testing its balance. Khadim lost his earlier exuberance, quieting his voice. A gesture of respect.

"We mainly used your sword that you temporarily donated to us to develop these ceramic blades. Thanks, by the way, forgot to thank you for that. Each blade has its edge sharpened to a molecule so that it can cut through practically anything." He drew another knife from the small box.

"They'll actually survive a fall through the atmosphere and _still_ retain their sharpness." He whispered, "Don't ask how we tested that. It's a state secret." He gestured with the blade, "These are also made with a few other tricks. Because of their lack of metallic properties, they'll pass through pretty much any kind of scan. X-rays won't see them because of the angles, which are specifically designed to bounce them off. So they're perfect for going through customs if you happen to use public transportation."

He then slammed the flat of the blade against the table. On guard, Wiru jumped back. Khadim held it back up for his inspection.

"Even though these are made of ceramic material, it'll still hold up to most hits, unlike your last sword which shattered after repeated impacts. And if the unlikely does occur, then the core of the blade is made up of synthetic diamond, so that even in the outer blade does shatter, you'll still have a decent blade to use." He shrugged.

"It won't be as sharp, but it'll cut through at least most kinds of body armor." Khadim carefully put the blade back into its sheath and into the box. _Useful and smart. I like it._

"We hope that this will be satisfactory." He slightly inclined his head. Wiru opened his mouth to say how excited he was, but Khadim began speaking again.

"Hopefully, if they do meet your expectations, we'll move onto swords of normal size, which will then soon be standard issue to Reapers in the near future. We already have plans for the sheath. An ingenious little idea of having a rotating hilt mechanism that locks into the scabbard so that the blade is isolated in air and won't 'accidently' cut through its sheath." He turned his head and looked meaningfully at Wiru. "Kind of defeats the purpose, right?"

Wiru closed his mouth curtly nodded. He shuddered to think what could happen if that occurred in the middle of an operation. Not a pretty thought.

"…So many accidents… But anyway, you must feel naked without your sword, so take these with you." Nodding again, Wiru gently took the box from his hands, slightly afraid of what might happen if he tripped and fell. _I'd get skewered like one of those kebabs that Cagalli is so fond of…_ He turned to begin heading deeper into the labs to go find the old man, but Khadim spoke again,

"You know, I was actually just looking at some of the materials that your older sister requested for some of her projects." He took a look at the manifest attached to one of the crates.

"Liquid nanomirror solution, electro-magnetic resistant circuitry, and a mobile armor cockpit, these are a few of the things she requested this time around." He continued to rifle through the manifest,

"They're for… H.U. Mn.G.B.R.D., Yata-no-Kagami, the Oblivion trial system, hey," Khadim grinned at Wiru, "these are some pretty interesting names she's made up."

"You understand, she can't talk about them yet." Wiru said with a shrug of regret, a hand already slipping a knife into position, _Should I kill him?_ "Classified."

"I understand," Khadim said with a wave of the hand as he put the manifest down, the knife disappearing from Wiru's hand. "I was just interested in the names she chose. Names are important things." He stopped for a moment and looked away as the atmosphere changed from his rapid-fire talking. It was a sudden change. Disconcerting.

"If you take a look at my last name, 'Azrael', it's actually the name of the Angel of Death, which is ironic when you think about it." He pointed at himself with a wry smile, "I'm a salesman of weapons and the materials to make them. It's a fitting name."

Khadim's eyes narrowed, staring at Wiru with… almost hatred, but he could feel that the look wasn't directed at him. He continued,

"With my father and older brother, it's even worse. My brother has an advisory role as a representative from the Azrael Conglomerate, while my father is the CEO of the company. They like seeing the _weapons_ they've sold used more than they like to see their own family." _What's the point of a weapon that's not used? Sounds like they have sense._ Khadim shook his head,

"Personally, I wouldn't be able to take it."

Wiru felt slightly awkward and was unsure of how to proceed. He hadn't heard this part of Khadim's past. They knew each other, sure, usually running into one another while in Mai's lab, but they had never really _talked_ …

No, Wiru had never really listened to Khadim's story. He had done a basic background check using the NEXUS network, but he never really knew the reasons why the man did what he did. His curiosity was piqued.

"Take what?" Wiru asked. Khadim started, as if suddenly remembering that Wiru was there. He watched as the dark look was almost shoved from the merchants eyes. His usual enthusiasm returned.

"Not living in Orb, of course!" he said. Wiru could hear the lie in his voice but decided to let it go. His family's business wasn't Wiru's affair. It sounded like some bad blood though.

"What's so great about living here?"

"I just like it. My father took my brother and me to a conference here about six years ago. Ever since then, I'd wanted to come back. I prefer it here," he said "It's as simple as that."

Wiru could tell he was telling the truth this time.

"At first, I tried to get a job at Morganroete, but I failed that interview with the Sahaku's. Not willing enough to cater to their whims without question, I guess. But then, the old man must have heard about me because I got an invitation for an interview with AME." Khadim started shuffling the papers on the bench back into his folder. "I decided that working with Morganroete's sister company wasn't a bad deal, especially since they're both based in Orb."

"Plus, they've got even better benefits than what Morganroete gives out." He let out a sigh. "But you didn't come here to hear me talk; you came to see the old man, right?"

"Yeah." Wiru said as he gave a sheepish smile, "But I didn't mind it. I'd always wondered why you left a big company like that just to work at a small weapons manufacturer like AME."

They paused awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to end the conversation politely. Khadim broke the stalemate,

"Well, I'll just clean up here." He said, "Don't mind me. Like I said before, he's in the AI labs with Yoon."

"Thanks."

"Not a problem, and if you ever have any suggestions or requests, just let us know."

"I will." Wiru waved as he turned to go deeper into the Research and Development lab, but stopped suddenly, remembering something,

"Did you see Tanigawa come in?" Khadim looked puzzled.

"No, I haven't. I wasn't even aware he was on shift today. Otherwise, I might've just had him sign off on this rather than waiting for the Colonel."

Wiru let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding and felt tired. Where did he go then? _I wonder if he's a threat. I should be wary of him next time._ He muttered a quick thank you and began navigating through the metallic jungle. He pushed the thoughts out of his head. He had come to meet with the old man. He might have gotten the information they were both looking for. It would be good to have it before he left on vacation.

A mechanical whirring surprised him. He jumped back and reached for one of the throwing knives but relaxed when he realized it was only one of the robotic joints for a mobile suit. Mai had been trying to figure them out for Lord Uzumi; it was one of her many side-projects.

Wiru always got a bit antsy whenever he came in here.

Last time he had come in unattended, he stumbled onto the Learning AI program and accidentally activated Kat. Because he had been the one to activate her, she 'imprinted' on him, as Mai had called it. She had been frustrated with him for several days after that, telling him that he had ruined months of plans and preparation, telling him that Kat had not been ready, how he had completely frustrated scientific progress, etc. Though, once she saw Kat responding to him, her attitude flipped like a pancake, and she demanded him to report any new developments.

He ducked through the foliage of cables and discarded blueprints. The corpses of gutted machines and forgotten materials reminded him of his sisters perchance of jumping from project to project. Honestly, it reminded him more of a battlefield rather than anything else. He still wondered how Kaz did it.

Of the two of them, Kaz was much more technically minded twin. Wiru's training had been more on treating battlefield injuries and fighting in hand-to-hand. P2 had focused more on training Kaz to be leader. They had been expecting something from him. Even after examining the remains of Omega station, Zephyr still hadn't exactly found out what, but it was probably related to Kaz's real eyes. P2s interest in Kaz had dissipated for several years until his abilities manifested.

He pushed aside some of the overhanging junk as he stepped through. Optic fiber cables? Oh well. He wasn't particularly interested in the technical aspects of development. He made it a point not to get involved. He had too many things to do. He could hear Yoon just a bit further in.

"…'s development plan is right on schedule; as you can see, the AIs will be ready for implementation by the middle of next year, Mr. Hitsuki." Yoon was closing her presentation to the old man. Her eyes were bright and her light brown hair was as messy as he remembered. She started to get out of her chair.

She wasn't an impressive individual as far as Wiru was concerned as she had no presence. Until she started working on something, at which point, her aura changed and even Wiru was afraid to approach her. That was one of the reasons Mai kept her around; she was a genius on par with herself, but there was a problem. She was very—

Yoon tripped and fell onto the old man.

—clumsy. Wiru winced in sympathy. _Klutz._ His cane rolled to Wiru's feet. Personally, he would hate to use a cane. It would be one more thing to carry around. It would also mean that he had an injury that limited his mobility. That, in and of itself, was a death sentence.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! _I'm so sorry!_ " Yoon said as she helped the old man up, tears already forming at the corners of her eyes, "I really didn't mean to!" The old man grunted.

"It's quite alright. We all have accidents from time to time," Hitsuki said, then continued under his breath, "some of us more than others." He was an old man, well-aged by his business sense and his perchance to mutter. Small and slim, he seemed harmless from a distance, but as soon as you looked him in the eyes, you could see the danger and intelligence lurking within.

Wiru kicked the cane up from his feet and caught it. Hitsuki had already noticed his entrance and held out his hand expectantly.

"How are you doing, Grandfather?" Wiru asked, inclining his head ever-so-slightly as he handed the cane to him.

"I've been well. Tired, but well," he said as he brushed off Yoons' hands, both already tuning out her repeated apologies. "I'd forgotten how tiring running a business can be. These things should be left for those who are young… I'm getting too old for this." Wiru grinned.

"Is that why you moved Khadim to the sales department? Are you planning on making him your successor?" he said, his smile growing bigger. He did enjoy needling his Grandfather. "I just experienced his sales pitch first hand. It's… a bit lacking."

His grandfather grunted noncommittally.

"He's a bit unpolished, but the basic skills are there. He just needs more experience."

"I'm so sorry, sir." Yoon said again, "If there's anything I _can_ do—"

"That's quite alright," Wiru's grandfather said. "You've shown me everything I wanted to see. I would very much like to talk to my grandson in privacy, if you will?" he motioned for her to leave. She began bowing as she walked backward,

"Ah, yes, well. If you ever need me, just let me know!" She quickly exited, but not before tripping again and falling into a pile of spare parts. Wiru felt sorry for her, but he turned to his grandfather.

As Yoon exited, Wiru let his strategically constructed persona drop like a winter coat in summer. _Finally. It's been a while._ He didn't need to pretend around his Grandfather. He didn't need to hide. They both knew who the other was in reality.

A murderer.

His grandfather spoke first.

"Mmm, yes, Ms. Sefan is a brilliant engineer. She has some rather… interesting traits, but overall, she's quite the catch." He said turning his cold eyes to Wiru, calculating, "Would you perhaps consider an arrangement with her?" Wiru was caught off guard by the insinuation.

"Still thinking about enriching the family line, eh?" he said while his grandfather motioned for them to walk.

"No. I was simply thinking that she might be able to save your life," he said, giving him a meaningful look. What was it with everyone giving him those looks lately? "You are not suited to this line of work, Wiru. It's tearing your psyche apart." _I'm not going crazy! It's too early for that._ The tired old man continued with a small smile,

"Though, I do consider the fact that her genes might make true genii a bit more possible in our line." Wiru let out a sigh. Though they both knew what the other had done in the past, both continued to grasp at straws, trying to play at living a normal life in the company of others.

"I made my choice. I'm not going back on it. I did it to save the rest of the Reapers." He said, "Besides, I wouldn't want to drag a woman into my life… It would be unfair to her." _Plus, I would devour her. She wouldn't be the same._

"But what of the other Reapers? They serve as reserve forces and will only be drafted if Orb goes to war. Why can't you do that as well?" Wiru was getting annoyed.

"We've already had this talk a thousand times. It's done." He said and decided to change the direction of the conversation; "Have you got any new information on who dragged our family into this mess?" His grandfather opened his mouth about to say something, but apparently thought better of it.

"…no…" He said, "Most of my old contacts in the underworld are either dead, missing, or do not wish to associate with me since either I or they became more… reputable." They came to a door within the lab and passed through. It was marked "Harbor". They shielded their eyes when they saw the sun through the opening of the cave.

"I've searched for who brought you and Hikaze into the program. It is a cold trail that's a little over eighteen years old, and none are willing to help me search for it in the underworld. I am sure that there was a gag order issued somewhere up in the chain of command." They continued walking down the walkways towards the sea.

"It's not a problem," Wiru said as he put his hand on his grandfather's shoulder… He could feel the old man shaking in anger. "It's enough that you sold your original company and started a new one here in Orb when I asked for your help." His grandfather looked at him.

"It's not enough for _me_ ," he said simply. "I need to know _why_ they got my family involved. They should have known who _I_ was and who they were messing with."

Wiru felt an unexpected burst of warmth in his chest. It was a rare feeling these days, and he cherished it.

He decided to share it with his grandfather and gave him a hug.

"Thank you." He said. "It means a lot that you'd look out for us."

The old man's eyes softened as he returned the gesture of affection.

"No, thank you. If it hadn't been for you and Hikaze, then your Grandmother and I would still be bitter about your parents' marriage and ignore all of our grandchildren." They continued on their way.

"Only now can I see that I was simply bitter that she had spurned the marriage I had prepared for her." Internally, Wiru rolled his eyes. He probably would have as well. If he were going to get married, he would have preferred it be someone he chose. He decided to leave politely. He did have work to do, after all.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" He asked. The old man smiled.

"No, I simply wanted to visit with you briefly and give you an update on the search before you left," he said. "Don't work yourself too hard. It's almost Christmas. Enjoy it." Wiru started edging away.

"I'll try. No guarantees though." He said, "I'm sure you can show yourself out?"

"Yes I can, and I'll see you when you return," he said and then called out to Wiru's retreating figure as an afterthought, "Oh, and please give me your report on the knives once you're through testing them! We'd love to be able to improve them."

Wiru gritted his teeth. The old man already knew Khadim had given them to him. If he were the betting kind of man, he would've placed several hundred on the fact that the geezer had calculated that Wiru would run into Khadim. He had been hoping to avoid thinking about their report until after his vacation. Apparently, the old man was planning for him to test them during his absence. His work never ended…

He started on his way back to his office in the capital.

* * *

Wiru looked blankly at his desk. A quick look at the laptop that he had been given earlier told him that the progress of Kat's download was at 50%. He sighed. Still another few hours then.

Ever since his visit with his grandfather, he'd been in a funk. It was strange. He couldn't focus on his work at all. Not on readjustments, or bringing his people home. All he could do was think about how he got there. He needed to relax, and if there was ever a good time, now was it.

Wiru reached into one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a small worn leather book. He undid the bindings. It had been a few weeks since he had opened it, but the familiar scent of paper greeted him as he reread the first entry.

 _08/11/63-_

 _If you're reading this, I'm most likely dead. My name is Wiru Kartas. I'm currently thirteen years old._

 _I'm starting this journal because I'm sick and the doctors don't know how to fix me yet. Cagalli says it's only a matter of time before they make me better, but I'm not so sure._

 _They whisper things when they think I'm asleep. The things they say scare me. I don't want to die._

 _…but if I do, I want to let my family know that I love them. I don't want them to think they didn't do enough._

 _Sometimes, after the treatments, I can't speak, so I'll spend it writing in this journal._

He thought to himself, _Not my problem._ Feeling guilty, Wiru flipped to the spot to where he had taken over the journal and began idly turning the pages, reading small snippets of entries. In total, what he had written over the last five years didn't even come close to the amount that _Wiru_ had written in the space of only a year. Eventually he came to the last entry he'd written a couple weeks ago.

Even their handwriting was slightly different, no matter how much he had tried to copy it.

 _20/11/69-_

 _Nothing much to report. Mai is happy. We haven't lost anybody in about a year. Something interesting is that the old man says he's found a lead. Hopefully it'll go somewhere._

Wiru laughed bitterly at his optimism.

 _Lord Uzumi is frustrated with the other four noble families. They're starting to break apart. Koto Sahaku is getting sick again so his son, Gina, is starting to take over. He does not share his father's ideals. His twin Mina is ok. But she follows her brother around, which is not ok. The Seirans are kept in check by the arranged marriage between Cagalli and Yuna (not that either of them are really interested). The Lionels are neutral to everything, while the Rajapakses are incredibly Pro-PLANTs. I have to constantly check with Lord Uzumi to make sure that an op has been approved by the whole council, otherwise Zephyr might be used to attack a political enemy of one of the other families._

 _It's stressful._

Understatement of the year. Wiru might not admit it out loud, but he was glad that _Wiru_ had begun to keep this journal and then left it for him to continue to write in. It was soothing to write about what was happening. It allowed him to put his thoughts in order. He began to write another entry,

 _14/12/69-_

 _It's been a while._

 _Met with old man Hitsuki. All his contacts won't respond. Too bad. Got a new computer for Kat. Azrael let me know a bit of his past. Seems to dislike his family. Should probably look into it further to perhaps see if it's something to take advantage of later. Took my psych eval yesterday. Mai knows something about it. Maybe she got a preliminary report and drew some conclusions about it. It shouldn't have been difficult, especially because of her security clearance. For some reason, it's higher than mine. I've got a bad feeling about the eval this time. I'm not sure how—_

Abruptly, a knock pulled him out of his thoughts. He knew that knock… The doorknob rattled as the intruder tried to get in. He was thankful he had remembered to lock it this time.

"Wiru, I know you're in there!" Cagalli yelled through the door. He sighed internally. He had told her that he had to finish his paperwork before meeting up with her. "It's almost eight! You said you'd be done by six!"

He got up, fuming that his relaxation had been interrupted. He furiously made his way to the door and opened it, intending to tell her off. He came face to face with her pouting as he remembered his promise to Wiru.

"I thought I would be." He said with a smile. "Really sorry about that. Something came up. I'll be done in just a few minutes." He hadn't expected to be a mess for several hours. He was determined not to break character. Not in front of her. It would have been the _last_ thing that Wiru had wanted. She still looked suspiciously at him.

"You sure?" she asked dubiously.

"I promise. Just wait outside the door, and I'll be out soon," he said, a plastic smile still firmly in place. _Stupid kid doesn't know anything about my pain._ She wouldn't be able to tell though.

"Ok…" He shut the door quickly and returned to his desk. He bound up the small journal and put it into one of his pockets. Looks like he would have to take his work home with him tonight… if he managed to get his work done and get out of his office. Looking at the laptop, 54% was proudly displayed across the screen. Great. He'd have to depend on Kat to do most of the job if he wanted to get any sleep. Getting his operatives home for the holidays to see their families was key. Their families were the whole reason they fought at all.

He sighed.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N: Please, please review. I know I'm mostly releasing for my own sanity, but still, I could use some feedback. Anything is appreciated, from "You suck!" to "This is great!". Even pointing out my errors is good.

This chapter was brought to you in part by: LuminousHawk who is officially the first reviewer!~ Congrats and a gold star to you.


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